Astaxanthin Vesicles Improve Alcoholic Liver Disease Through Oxidative Stress and NF ‐ κB Inflammatory Pathway

ABSTRACT

Liver injury induced by alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) will eventually lead to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory functions of astaxanthin (AST) can prevent and alleviate liver injury. In this study, AST was embedded in fatty acid vesicles to determine the effects of astaxanthin vesicles (AST‐FAV) on ALD. The results demonstrated that compared to free AST, AST‐FAV improved liver fat accumulation and oxidative damage caused by excessive drinking, and inhibited the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines by regulating the TLRs/MyD88/NF‐κB, TNF‐α/TNFR/NF‐κB, and NLRP3/NF‐κB pathways. In summary, AST‐FAV can exert its anti‐inflammatory effect through antioxidation and multiple pathways to prevent liver injury. These findings not only highlight the potential of AST‐FAV for application in functional foods or dietary supplements but also provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of its potential as a clinical intervention strategy for the prevention or adjunctive treatment of alcoholic liver disease in humans.